07072014 - Atomic Rooster "Death Walks Behind You"

I have never listened to Atomic Rooster before. I'm sure that's considered a sin, but there you go - I'm listening now! And according to those in the know this is the album to start on, so here we go. I dig the title track, which opens the album! Heavy, moody, dark and cool! When they go all proggy during some of the songs I am more than able to contain my enthusiasm, but mostly they stay on the right side of widdly-widdly. I'm sure loads of you folks think their escapades beyond the 4/4 perimeter is what makes the band interesting, but I prefer the heavy rock bits to the jazz meanderings any day of the week and twice on Mondays!

06072014 - Foreigner "Inside Information"

"Say You Will" was a massive hit, and remains a classic. Still it's taken me until now to hear the rest of the album. It's typical 80's Foreigner, but compared to their previous releases from the same decade this is a bit disappointing. Lou Gramm's singing is the highlight of the record, but the production is a tad too slick for its own good and about half of the songs aren't really as great as they should be. In addition to the aforementioned single, opener "Heart Turns to Stone" and "I Don't Want to Live Without You" are standouts, but there's no reason why I would want to listen to this album over and over instead of "4" or "Agent Provocateur". Fun fact: this album charted higher in Norway (#5) than in any other country! Not that we should read anything into that...

05072014 - Bacchus Baracus "Tales of Worries, Woe and Whatever"

Stoner/psych metal with growling vocals. It's been done before, but when the songs are good enough it's an effective combination. And there are some great ones here, like "Yo! Wanna Deal" and "Mammoth". Let's face it - any song where the chorus goes "I am the mammoth! The great wooly mammoth!" is pretty much guaranteed to be to be just awesome! At times it's less inspired, but on the aforementioned songs as well as the closing couple, "Fuck Knows Man" and the 14 minute smorgasbord of psychedeliciousness "Sweet Smell" they are magnificent! I am also childish enough to snigger at the implied fart joke - intentional or not - of the opening track including the word "deal" and the last track including the word "smell" in the title... Farts are funny. While we're at it, I also recommend checking out their 2012 EP "Growler", and not just because of the cover. As if I would ever...

04072014 - Sweet Cream "Sweet Cream & Other Delights"

The cover alone is reason good enough to feature this album. It is, of course, one of many parodies/tributes to Herb Alpert's iconic "Whipped Cream & Other Delights", and there can never be too many of those, right? Right? The music here is pleasant, albeit easily forgettable disco/funk from 1978, a year when Detroit must have had a combo like this on every street corner. They do have some good songs, but it's pretty damn unlikely that many of these will stick in my memory when the record is over. But the album cover...

03072014 - Edwyn Collins "Understated"

Somehow I missed out on this album when it originally dropped last year, so here's making amends! His previous record, 2010's "Losing Sleep" was a lovely comeback, and as comebacks go one of the generally most impressive! If you don't know what I'm talking about, read his book - easily one of the most touching stories about any musician I have ever read! "Understated" mostly picks up where its predecessor left off, and demonstrates yet again what a brilliant songwriter we didn't lose in Edwyn. "Dilemna" opens with plenty of swagger and "Baby Jean" follows up brilliantly. About halfway through the album sags a little, but I'm still rooting so much for Edwyn that I'm willing to look past that and just simply call this the victory it truly is! There's no huge hit single here, but the one he did have was always just gonna be a fluke. Let's hope he has another one, though. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy!

02072014 - Brody Dalle "Diploid Love"

Ah, my old punk rock crush Brody! Cooler than Courtney, and punkier too! The Distillers were genius when I first heard them, and kept the genius up until they kinda lost the plot. Spinnerette I never really got into. My bad? Anyway, Brody's back, and she's packing a punch! The punk remains mostly in the past, but there are some songs on "Diploid Love" that makes me not miss those rowdy days of yore! "Rat Race" opens the ball with balls, "Underworld" showcases Ms. Dalle as a proper Queen of the Stone Age and "Dressed In Dreams" is just a brilliant rock song. Her voice never softened, so there's plenty of grit for us fans of that grit rock, but there's also room for (dare I say it?) sophistication! Not all songs are instant classics, and it's obvious that she wants to experiment a bit more than she probably should have - case in point, "I Don't Need Your Love", where Brody gets broody and, uh, tries out stuff. She finishes on a high note though, and as long as we all can get used to the fact that The Distillers is a thing of the past, this is a step in the right direction, and great things should lie ahead!

01072014 - Suicide "Suicide"

One of those bands that I have never taken the time to check out. The opening track, "Ghost Rider", is of course iconic, but then again so is the rest of the album. I can see why this influenced a lot of synth bands, but it's basically more punk than synth pop, and the vocals are pure rock'n'roll! I bet a band like Sigue Sigue Sputnik were huge fans. Now, the five songs that make out the original side 1 on the album are one thing - they are great - but "Frankie Teardrop"... What a song! What pure and desperate rawness! This album should be mandatory listening for everybody!